Central Coast Home & Lifestyle Winter 2021

F o c u s o n C h i l d r e n F o c u s o n C h i l d r e n

Encourage patience. Between eight and ten weeks, a new puppy is in what’s called a fearful period as he explores the world. Combine that with the fact that both children and puppies are easily excited, and the result can be misunderstandings that place both on the defensive. Slow, patient interactions leave room for everyone to learn what behaviour feels fun and safe. Model the way that you want your kids to approach their pup. Once they learn this at home, they’ll understand the safe way to approach others dogs, too. Include the kids on your walks. Your child will help you teach the puppy to obey and follow you and your child’s lead. These early lessons will nurture and strengthen a healthy owner-dog relationship as both child and puppy mature. Have your kids help you take care of the puppy. Having a dog is a great way to set rules for your children and teach them about responsibilities. Depending on the age of your kids, they should be able — and expected — to walk the puppy, feed him, and clean up after him. Kids can take part in training. Both children and puppies learn by doing. One easy lesson is to clap gently for the dog to come. This is a personality test that trainers use to judge a dog’s temperament. But it’s also a nice introduction to the idea that he’s expected to come when called. A puppy that comes running right away is likely more dominant. One who’s initially shy but then accepts affection has a gentler disposition toward humans. Let kids teach your puppy to fetch. Crumple up a piece of paper, wiggle it in front of the puppy, and then gently toss it a few feet away. Your pup should go sniff the paper, and he may return it to the thrower after a time.

18 Home & Lifestyle Magazine | Winter 2021 All children need to commit themselves completely to their efforts and make whatever activity they are doing their own. What's important in any creative act is the process Creativity is more than just artistic expression. W e can encourage creative thinking by sharing and building on ideas with our kids in different aspects of life. Creativity — using our imagination to come up with ideas or make something new is one of the most valuable qualities human beings can have. Innovative thinking will serve our kids well in whatever endeavours they choose, and themorewe encourage creative activity during their formative years, the more comfortable and confident they’ll feel in sharing their ideas with others. Creativity is the freest form of self- expression. There is nothing more satisfying and fulfilling for children than to be able to express themselves openly and without judgment. The ability to be creative, to create something from personal feelings and experiences, can reflect and nurture children's emotional health. The experiences children have during their first years of life can significantly enhance the development of their creativity. New Puppy? Lessons to teach your children K ids and puppies have lots in common: They’re inquisitive, impatient, and easily excited! This is why it’s important to carefully supervise first encounters between a new puppy and your children. But the rewards are wonderful — a truly close bond and a lifelong love of dogs. Follow these steps for a happy relationship. Until you’re sure that the puppy and the child know how to behave around each other,

of self-expression. Creative experiences can help children express and cope with their feelings. A child's creative activity can help teachers to learn more about what the child may be thinking or feeling. Creativity also fosters mental growth in children by providing opportunities for trying out new ideas, and new ways of thinking and problem-solving. We generally don’t have to teach kids to be creative. Most children seem to have a natural instinct for it. If we provide them the tools young kids will create to their heart’s content. But eventually some things do tend to get in the way — fear, time, passive entertainment, to name a few which is where we as parents step in. We can help create an environment for our kids that fuels creative thinking to help nurture a vibrant sense of creativity at home: Make sure supplies are easily accessible. Musical instruments, gardening tools, a cabinet or cupboard filled with arts-and- crafts supplies that the kids can access any time, along with large trays for keeping smaller work contained. You don’t have to have a huge budget for supplies as they can be everyday household items such as — old boxes, empty paper towel rolls, scrap paper, material, buttons, cotton balls, rocks, plastic containers, old photo frames, stickers, felt, tins, string and ribbon to name a few. Give your kids some scissors, duct tape, paints, crayons, glue and markers, and you’d be amazed at the rocket ships that can be created from a box and a marker. Teach your children that dogs have zones of space that should be respected. There’s a public zone, a social zone, and an intimate zone. You should not be in the intimate zone unless the dog has indicated that it’s okay with that. Study canine body language. Like you, your child should know to stop play if she sees signs of dominance. you should always be present. Stay in the background, but be observant and ready to step in if a situation looks like it’s going wrong. Let the puppy nose his way to the kids, not the other way around. This can be very hard for children to understand. They can get excited when they see a dog and want to rush up and start petting it —which can provoke a reaction from the dog.